Hi everyone!

You've all gotten such a head start on me! I've read NA countless times but never participated in a Group Read, so I'm looking forward to this a great deal! Well, here are my musings and thoughts so far.

1) For some reason, I always read this passage wrong:

...our heroine's entree into life could not take place till after three or four days had been spent in learning what was mostly worn, and her chaperon was provided with a dress of the newest fashion...

I used to just skim over the "chaperon" part and assumed that Catherine was the one getting the new dress - but it was for Mrs. Allen! That was her first concern, not getting Catherine to the balls as quickly as possible to find her a suitable marriage partner, as was her unspoken "duty" in taking Catherine Bath. Most shocking!

2) Have we officially opened the topic of the "defense of novels" in Ch. 5 yet? I just love this passage more and more every time I read it. I've always thought that NA was the most self-aware of JA's novels, that is, that it's the one where we get the most of the author's actual voice. Someone (forgive me, I forget who) mentioned that the introduction to their edition calls it the most literary of her novels, which I agree with, but I don't think enough is made of the fact that her own personality as a woman, author and, well, person, comes through so strongly. I think it's in part because it's one of her most youthful novels, in which she really was discovering her own voice and differentiating her style from the fads of the day (such as, for example, Udolpho!)

3) I just had to point out the opening of Ch. 6 - reading it carefully, word by word, it's just such a great stab at the falsity of Isabella and Catherine's friendship. As usual, JA says so much with so few words!!